An Occupational Therapy Function Based Intervention, Following Bilateral Above Elbow Amputation- A Case Study

Twenty two year old male sustained a bilateral above elbow amputation following an accident at work in which both his hands were trapped under a heavy machine. He suffered extensive injuries and burns. Following a short admission on the burns unit he was transferred to the orthopedic rehabilitation center, where he required full nursing care.

The aim of this presentation is to describe the occupational therapy intervention from the initial stage after amputation, before the fitting of prosthetics. In the rehabilitation setting, our goal was to improve independence in specific daily living activities, reduce reliance on family members and as a result, hopefully, to improve his ability to cope with his complex condition. The treatment included the fitting and provision of daily living aids as required, consultation with MILBAT (assistive technology), recommendations for adaptations to his living environment and developing strategies and techniques to better manage the challenges of daily life.

After two months in rehabilitation he gained independence in some of the daily living activities: eating, brushing teeth, showering, dressing upper body and operating his phone.

It is unusual to come across this type of case which includes physical, emotional and functional complexity. In these instances, we need to think outside of the box in order to improve independence, self-efficacy and quality of life for the people who are standing in front of us. We faced numerous challenges and we had to be creative in our approach to solving them. This case study will present a discussion of the issues that we faced.